Ninja Skills
by RamenIsRad
Summary: To prevent the bleak future they know, Tenten and Naruto go back to the past to stop Orochimaru from biting Sasuke. By fighting Fate, they meet some consquences they weren't prepared for...
1. Konoha's Best Kept Secret

Ninja Skills

**Ninja Skills**

**Chapter 1: Konoha's Best Kept Secret**

**-or-**

**In Which Tenten and Naruto Have Redemption Brought to Them**

* * *

**Summary:** _Tenten and Naruto get a second chance to save her friends, village, and reputations when they're sent back to the Chunin Exams._

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Naruto or anything Naruto related, so please refrain from suing for plagiarism and let's all just enjoy our day! Also the whole 'In which…' title idea was gotten from one of my favorite books of all time Howl's Moving Castle, and I don't own that either._

**DYEH:** _First things first: HELLO! Okay, now that my greeting is posted, I'd just like to warn you all ahead or time and write that this story skips around from genre to genre. One moment it's romantic, the next it's humorous, then it's sad, violent, dramatic, so on and so fourth. So even though this first chapter is remotely depressing, keep in mind it can't be like that for too long when someone with high self esteem is writing it. Without further ado, I present to you all Ninja Skills; 'cause ninja's have skills._

* * *

It was by far the worst day of her entire life. All the things she saw could not even be thought up the most twisted and violent of minds. She stood still on the grassy plain that had bodies left and right and everything splattered with blood and body parts and weapons. Ninja's might have to see things no one ever should, but not even a ninja should have seen this.

Tenten was a smart, beautiful, and savvy Jounin and at twenty-three years of age and she figured she had seen it all… all but this. It was just another battle with the Sound until Sasuke showed up and all the ninja were called upon to get over there and kill once and for all. Neji and Tenten, who were ready to go spar, dropped everything and raced there, both thinking it wouldn't end as badly as it had.

When they arrived everyone was already dead. It looked as if an entire village had come to try there chances and they obviously weren't lucky. Sasuke had such a devilish smile on his face that it alone was intimidating. It was like he was proud he had slaughtered all these people. When he saw Neji he cackled aloud. "Hyuuga, I've been waiting to take those renowned white eyes. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have the Sharingan in one eye and the Byakugan in the other? And better yet; to have stolen it from one of the best."

Neji didn't waste time activating his bloodline and getting right into it. Tenten forgot all about Neji and his pride and she started throwing weapons at Sasuke and trying many different jutsu from a few feet away. But it was over when Sasuke started getting serious and he showed off moves Tenten couldn't even imagine. He first aimed all his attacks at her, until she hit the ground a mess and fell unconscious.

When she awoke, she didn't see Sasuke but she did see Neji. He was standing, covered with blood and his long silk hair was cut up and tangled. Tenten neglected her pain and she ran to see if her best friend was alright. She regretted doing that when she saw his left eye was gone and blood was running down his face. He didn't complain or scream in pain, he just stood there waiting for something.

Tenten put her hands over her mouth and she cried. "N-Neji-kun… I'm sorry… I'm s-s-so s-s-sorry! I sh-should've pr-pr-protected y-you…"

Neji didn't say anything but he reached forward, grabbed Tenten, and pulled her in his embrace. Tenten didn't even care that she was soaking with is blood she hugged him back and cried into his chest. He took her hair out from its buns and he started stroking it. "I regret never seeing you with your hair down as much as I would've liked."

Tenten laughed slightly and she backed up. "We need to get back to Konoha and heal you. Tsunade-sama is the best, maybe -"

"No," he interrupted. "I'm not going to make the situation better than it is. I'm going to die, Tenten, whether you take me back or not."

She didn't argue, but rather let her tears roll to the ground. Neji reached out and touched her neck, bringing his hand to her cheek, brushing her eyelid and lips. He slowly reached down and kissed her. Pulling away, he whispered. "I love you."

Tenten smiled and kissed back. A second later her dream come true ended as he fell to his side. Tenten's eyes were wide with shock. She never thought that she would see the day Hyuuga Neji would meet such a fate. He was too strong to be defeated. He was too good to go down like that. He deserved better. No, he didn't deserve it at all!

Tenten started crying hysterically. She dropped to her knees, pulled Neji up, and cradled him in her shaking arms. She wanted to give up. All those memories, all those emotions, all those feelings… she wanted to die _with _him. Without him, she didn't exist. She didn't belong. She didn't want to.

She wouldn't go back to Konoha that night. She wouldn't go anywhere ever again. She would never leave his side…

Never…

* * *

The sun shone brilliantly in through the hospital window onto Tenten's eyelids. Her brown eyes burst open with a notable darkness to them that wasn't there before. She remembered almost immediately what had happened and she would never disrespect Neji and forget about it or be in denial. Not even thinking, she reached for where she kept her shuriken and found she was in a hospital gown and her weapons had been taken. She sniffed back a cry and pounded her head on the pillow.

"I'm sorry," a voice from the corner of the room said. It sounded upset; as if that was the only thing they could've thought to say. "I know how you feel…"

Tenten glared at the ceiling with all her muscles tense. "Damn you. Where are my weapons?"

"I have them."

"Give them to me!" she commanded.

The figure shook their head. "I can't…"

"Tsunade-sama! Give them to me dammit!"

Tsunade emerged from the darkness of the corner and sat by Tenten's bed. "Suicide isn't the answer."

Tenten continued glaring at the walls as tears pushed passed her thick eyelashes. "Who said I'd kill myself now? I won't do that until that damn Uchiha brat dies!"

Tsuande sighed as her eyes began to water as well. It reminded her so much of her situation with Dan it was unbearable. "He's much too strong. Not even Orochimaru expected him to be stronger them himself."

"Then I'll train," she said defiantly.

"It won't be enough."

"Yes! Yes it will!" she screamed, now shaking.

The room was silent for a while. Tsunade took a deep breath. "Tenten, look at me." The girl rolled her head towards the Hokage and looked at her with dark, empty eyes. "Tenten, there's a way to make it so that none of this never happened."

Tenten shook her head. "I don't want to ever forget him…"

"I'm not saying I can erase your memories, I'm saying _you_ canreally make it so that none of this ever happens," she elaborated.

"It sounds," Tenten began but paused. A second later she continued, "It sounds too good to be true. So many people have died these past ten years… all my friends from the Chunin Exams… all our sensei… oh god, I think Naruto and I are all that's left!"

Tenten started shaking and Tsunade pressed her hand firmly on her shoulder. "Tenten, listen to me! We're falling apart and there only seems to be one way to fix this and I need you and Naruto to do it!"

"You're lying! Stop lying to me!"

Tsunade huffed in frustration. "Tenten _please_!"

She stopped crying on cue, pushing Tsunade's hand off her and climbing out of the hospital bed and to the hospital door. "Let's go."

"Wait, don't you want to get changed?" Tsunade asked, pointing to her neatly folded and washed clothes. Clothes that were stitched up and brightly colored. Clothes that no longer had Neji's dark blood staining them.

How dare they.

"You know," Tenten said quietly. "It doesn't even matter. Can we just go?" Tsunade smiled and nodded, watching Tenten pick up speed on her first step. She raced past people and, surprise, more bodies. This place had become such a graveyard of familiar faces. It really was sickening.

She hated going through the streets. The once beautiful and renowned village was filthy with starving people everywhere, begging for one thing or another. Some of the citizens even got violent and what was left of the Black-Ops was sent to quiet down the riots. She hated living here, but had to stay. Her hope of the village in her memories kept her here.

Taking a final sprint, she pushed open the doors to the office and stood in front of Tsunade's desk. She thought a run would get all the thoughts out of her mind, but really it just made things worse.

"Hey Tenten!" Tenten's eyes widened and she looked up to see Naruto waving behind the Hokage's desk. How could he be so cheerful? He went through what happened to her over and over again. Not to mention that deranged childhood! Yes, he told her all about that. Naruto, Neji, and Tenten had all became close since all their friends and family members died. He'd break down sometimes and just talk about everything that'd ever happened to him that he hated, especially when Iruka died.

It was the same routine with him; he'd here the news, frown a bit, smile and try and laugh it off, and sooner or later (usually sooner) when he thinks he's not being judged or when he's all alone he sheds some light on how he really feels. If he's smiling now, that must've meant he already heard the news. And seeing how he was really happy and giddy must mean he feels just about as shitty as Tenten.

"Wow, you look like crap," he stated suddenly.

Tenten rolled her eyes. "No, Naruto, I didn't notice," she said sarcastically, not in the mood to talk it out.

"You didn't?" he asked seriously. "Well if you look _that_ bad, I mean, don't you at least _feel_ as bad as you look?" Age obviously doesn't come with common sense. Power and looks- usually. Common sense- nope.

Tsunade came through the doors casually, waving for Naruto and Tenten to follow. They went through many hallways before Tsuande started talking. "The first Hokage put so much into making Konoha the village he always imagined it as that he wanted to make sure that nothing happened to it long after his death. So he performed a jutsu he created while he was alive, and sealed it away inside an object."

"What are you about to show us?" Naruto interrupted.

Tsunade smirked. "One of Konoha's best kept secrets. It's around your neck, actually," Tsunade said motioning to Naruto's necklace. "That's one of the reasons it was so important to the first Hokage as well as myself. You see, there's always something bad in history that happens due to events that could've been prevented. The First thought that if there was a large enough mistake that would destroy Konoha, it would have to be fixed. So he found a way to make it so his chakra preserve could act somewhat like a time portal. All you have to do is hold it and think back to the time you want to go. But there were a few problems with this."

"Wait!" Tenten interjected. "How could he have known how to go back through time?"

Tsunade shrugs. "Who knows? He never left any scrolls or information on it. Back to what I was saying, there were problems with the necklace. Problem one; it would disappear once out of chakra, but that problem was solved easily with the donation of each Hokage's chakra when they passed on and even a few Jounin and Black-Ops who were told of it donated. Problem two; no one knew for sure if it worked."

"Why didn't they just test it?" The young Uzumaki tried to pay attention but now seemed more fascinated in the marble floor.

"They did," Tsunade answered. "Actually, the Fourth did."

Naruto looked up with a new interest sparkling in his eyes. "Really?"

"Really. I offered it to the Fourth, who thought that he could prevent the Kyuubi from ever coming to the village. He went through attempt after attempt, and he finally realized that he had to sacrifice himself."

Naruto slouched. "It didn't sound like it worked."

Tsunade looked back. "But it did! He went to were he wanted to go in time. He just knew no one but he could save the village. Now, twenty-two years later, we need it again. This time, however, it is not Arashi who's going back, but _you_ two."

They stopped in front of a regular door and Tsuande just slid it open and walked in. Naruto snickered and Tsuande glared through the dark room. She walked forward through the dark. "Close the door," she ordered. Tenten came in after Naruto and slammed it shut. She heard Tsunade open the lid to the

Naruto glanced at Tenten, who looked about as confused as he did.

"You two are going on what could be one of the most important missions Konoha has ever seen," she explained. "You will each hold this and think back to the start of the first Chunin Exams you ever took."

"Why would we do that?" Naruto thought aloud.

Tsunade sighed. "Because that is where Orichimaru gave Sasuke his curse! If you two can make sure that doesn't happen, we might be able to avoid what is happening right now in your very home."

Tenten shook her head. "No. This is so wrong. What if we screw up and things just get worse?"

"This wasn't supposed to happen, Tenten. Things weren't supposed to be this way. Besides; if you do mess up you can always try again. This was always here, you know."

Tenten was about to retaliate but she took a breath and just listened.

"Now, think back to the morning of that day. I trust you to do what's right. Here are some tips, though, so you're not clueless. Tip one; remember that people weren't the same. Hinata was still shy, Sasuke was going soft, Ino and Sakura were fan girls, Neji was obsessed with revenge, and so on and so fourth so try to treat them the same as you would back then. Tip two; you have all the memories when you go back, so sorry you have to live with that and try not to let it get to you."

"Good luck with that!" Naruto told Tenten, patting her back as she glowered darkly at him.

Tsunade shook here head. "Anyway, tip three; you have all your powers and abilities as well, so even though you could easily take down half the people there without so much as blinking, try not to flaunt it too much or people might get suspicious. Tip four; try to act as you would normally act. And tip five; remember why you were there and do whatever it takes so the history doesn't repeat itself. Before I go on, will you two do it?"

Naruto smiled and said softly, "Believe it."

Tenten nodded lightly, but still felt uneasy.

Tsunade beamed at them. "Great. Now, here's a scroll," she said as one poofed into her hand. She tossed it to Naruto. "Since you meet me first, give it to me when you feel right. Now, I'm going to leave. When I shut the door, you know what to do."

Tsunade went to the door and slid it open again as she was closing it, Tenten grabbed her arm with tears in her eyes. "I will see you again?"

Tsunade was shocked by her worry and she nodded. "I promise."

With that she slid it shut.

Tenten walked up and grabbed the sphere, putting it in front of Naruto. "What about you?"

He stopped mid grab. "What about me?"

"Do you promise to still be my friend when we go back? I'll need you, you know."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah. But that goes for you too," he answered. As he held the necklace with Tenten and light filled the room, she finally smiled.

* * *

**DYEH**: _I can already tell I'm going to have to go BETA fishing…._


	2. Nerve's Acting Up

Ninja Skills

**Ninja Skills**

**Chapter 2: Nerves Acting Up **

**-or-**

**In Which Tomorrow Meets Yesterday**

* * *

**Summary:** _Tenten gets a second chance to save her friends and village when she's sent back to the day of the Forest of Death in the Chunin Exams. Can she change her weak past into a strong future? Neji/Ten_

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Naruto or anything Naruto related, so please refrain from suing for plagiarism and let's all just enjoy our day! Also the whole 'In which…' title idea was gotten from one of my favorite books of all time Howl's Moving Castle, and I don't own that either._

**DYEH:** _I now proudly present to you chapter 2 of Ninja Skills; 'cause ninjas have skills. _

* * *

It felt… _awkward_ to say the least. It didn't hurt, it just felt to Tenten like she turned into something stretchy and she was being pulled by two ends of an empty hallway with no openings. Eventually, the further end won and she was dragged all the way to the end of the bleak hallway without feeling any pain or thinking to put up a struggle. She winced and shut her eyes, thinking she'd be smashed into the wall, though she never hit it. Puzzled, she hesitantly opened her eyes.

Above her was a clean, white ceiling with a light hanging down. Her eyes widened immediately as she pushed herself up. Grass green walls, plush sea foam carpet, white furniture, and weapons everywhere- this looked like the room she had before her apartment was destroyed! She wondered whether or not she was sent to the right time. She got out of her bed and glanced around the room for a clue to her age.

"Alright Tenten," she told herself. "What did you have in your room ten years ago?"

She glanced down. She looked younger and obviously had some growing to do. Then the wall of pictures above her desk caught her eye. She walked over to see herself, her parents, her family, her friends, and two pictures of her with Gai, Lee, and Neji. So, if there were only two, that could mean she _was_ thirteen and just had the picture or that she was fourteen and had _yet_ to take the new picture.

She huffed. Never in a million years did she think one of her problems in life would be to find out how old she was.

She was about to ransack her desk when she saw something very useful; a calendar. She forgot! Every year since, ever since she turned twelve, Tenten got a calendar to keep up with Gai's fickle training schedule. Oh, how she got annoyed. One day she'd have to get up at twelve midnight and train until ten that night and the next he'd decide to do at five until six. It helped her keep track to a degree. Looking at the date not crossed off, she smiled. Under the date, it read; _Chunin Exams_. Exams was underlined twice. What a sense of humor she had.

She ran off to her bathroom, took a shower, and got dressed. She was trying not to act weird and run around the house in tears of joy, but it was hard to refrain from when she saw her parents in the kitchen. She burst into tears and squeezed them both at once, cherishing the moment. Taking in their warmth and scent; it was so familiar. How could she have forgotten?

Her mother started crying to. "I knew she was afraid! The Chunin Exams are brutal! I plan on talking to the Hokage about this!" She looked down at Tenten. "If you don't want to go, I'll say your sick!"

Tenten laughed. "No, it's not that. I want to do it!"

Her dad barely suppressed a chuckle. "I told you she wanted to…"

"It's just… I love you both," she finally said.

"Tenten, we love you too!"

How long had she been waiting to hear that they loved her?

"Well," her mother said in defeat, "if you are going, you should head out now. And Tenten, good luck and be safe! I believe in you!"

"_We_ believe in you," her father joined in, as they both kissed her head. She felt so happy, so alive to be where she was. But then it kicked in that she had a mission and shouldn't get distracted by this affection.

"Bye!" Tenten waved, and raced out of the apartment. First things first; before she plays death mission, she needed to find Naruto.

She raced outside and looked around; overjoyed to see the clean, beautiful village she remembered and missed. If only Tsunade could see this… oh, right, she can… well, if only the _future_ Tsunade could see this. Tenten took off to his dingy apartment at the time, skimming from roof top to roof top. She realized she was going too fast for her age, but disregarded it since she was going too fast to point out.

When she reached his place (how she remembered where his first, crummy apartment was seemed beyond her), she knocked three times. No response. She knocked three more times. No response. She knocked yet again. "Naruto, it's me, Tenten! Open up!" No response. Agitated, she banged her fist on the door and it fell open, showing Naruto at the table sucking down ramen like there was no tomorrow.

Tenten glared at him. "Why didn't you answer?"

"And miss out on this?" he asked, jabbing a finger at his ramen bowl with noodles dripping from his mouth.

She sighed melodramatically. "Fine, whatever, I'll take that lame excuse. But can you please hurry up? We have fifteen minutes to meet up with our teams and get there!"

Naruto's eyes drooped. "But then how can I treasure the moments?" Tenten reached for a kunai, and Naruto shut his eyes. "I'll finish, I'll finish! But do you have to be so violent? And what about my door?!"

She suppressed her giggles after a few minutes and stood up straight, crossing her arms to hint that she was coming back to reality. "How do you plan to stop him?"

Naruto looked up. "Sphof foo?" he said with a full mouth, translating to, "Stop who?"

"Stop Orochimaru from cursing Sasuke?"

He put his empty bowl down and threw his chopsticks beside it. "I haven't thought about it. I thought it would be better to get to him before hand instead of when he shows up so Sasuke and Sakura don't wonder how I got so good so fast without them knowing."

Tenten laughed. "You've done that countless times though. Why would this be different?"

"Because," he said sternly. "It's too soon to get that strong that fast within a short amount of time without having a good excuse. Saying 'Oh, I felt like being a weak loser my entire life up until today' doesn't sound believable. Any suggestions?"

She looked down in concentration. "So, you want to get him before he gets in the forest or just before he gets to Sasuke?"

"Before he gets to Sasuke."

She nodded, and then her features brightened. "Wait! The second day, our group, we split up! That's when Lee never came, we went to find him, and we saw Sasuke with the curse in full effect! It must've happened before that!"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, it's all coming back to me. I was eaten by a snake…"

"You were _eaten _by a snake?"

"Long story that I forgot the details… anyway, I came back and met up with Orochimaru harassing my group and Sasuke started acting weird and I felt a surge of chakra from the Kyuubi. Sasuke must've been marked when Orochimaru slapped that seal on me!"

"A seal…? You have a lot to tell me later, got it? But back to business, here's what I think we should do…"

"Gotta hurry, gotta hurry, gotta hurry!" Tenten was racing through the village once again after separating from Naruto. He met up with his team later that day, that lucky bastard. She, on the other hand, had three minutes to be there. Actually, she had two minutes, since Gai was a fanatic about reaching your destination early. She had to meet up with her team, talk about whatever it was they talk about, and be the first team to get there.

Now… if only she could recall where she was supposed to meet her team…

She huffed and decided to speed up. At the pace she was going, if someone saw her she deserved anything coming her way. She had gotten so much quicker on her feet during the years, she was shocked when she could reach that speed and not be in pain or feel strained at this age. Who knows; maybe she had always been able to go fast and she just never felt like trying.

Two minutes to be on time; one minute to be early.

She was starting to panic now. She leapt to a nearby roof to a fruit stand and just started jumping from roof top to roof top as her eyes were scanning every nook and cranny she could spot. Okay, what about process of elimination? They weren't at their training grounds, they weren't at any of their houses, they weren't at the academy, and they weren't in any restaurants…

One minute to be there on time; no chance in hell to be there early unless Naruto's necklace magically popped into Tenten's hands.

She stopped and slapped her hand to her head. Where could they be? This was just great. Maybe she'd find out next that she had forgotten her entire childhood! She looked up and saw the four faces of each Hokage. She laughed; Tsunade wasn't Hokage yet, so her face wasn't added on the end yet. It looked different but familiar without the female figure mixed in with the guys' heads.

Suddenly, everything hit her. She was supposed to meet everyone at the Hokage Monument! She sprinted like a mad woman over to the opposite side of the village with such a haste she thought her molecules would just break apart and she'd become a pile of mush on the street for the Genin to poke. She could make it! She could make it! She could make…

"Made it," she panted as she collapsed on the ground in front of the stone faces, not even bothering to see if her team was there. She learned that she could only run that fast for so long without feeling soreness and tired, rather than her earlier theory of having the same vigor.

"Tenten!" a recognizable voice shouted out. "Do you not realize that you are late? I thought that your flame of youth had burned out and that you would not show up!"

Tenten's brown eyes were large after determining who that voice belonged to. She clutched the ground and tried with all her might not to cry. She had missed that person so much it hurt. When he died she might have cried everyday for a year. They were so much alike and they were so close, it was one of the hardest deaths of her friends for her to go through.

She didn't look up, afraid to find that he wasn't there and she was tricking herself. "Lee?" she asked as she kept intense focus on the ground.

She heard feet scurry to her side as they kneeled down (Tenten couldn't help but notice the green jumpsuit). "Gai-sensei, I think there is something wrong with Tenten!"

Taking a deep breath, she slowly sat up and looked over and the figure next to her. She smiled widely and squeezed her friend. "Lee!"

Lee sniffed. "Gai-sensei, I have brought Tenten from her dark mood with my youthful spirit!"

"Ahaha! Great work, Lee! You'll get through this and pave your ninja way no problem if you keep this up!" a deep voice told Lee. Tenten sighed; Gai-sensei. She could practically hear his teeth shining and his thumb pushing through the air.

Lee sniffed again and he hopped to his feet. Tenten came up as well and faced her sensei with a look of determination. She was ready for anything now. Nothing could throw her off guard. _Nothing_.

Nothing except Hyuuga Neji, that is.

He stood next to Gai, giving her a glazed look. Then he abruptly asked in a monotone voice, "What?"

Tenten shook her head to get out of her daze. "Huh?"

Neji's eyes narrowed. "Why are you staring at me?"

Tenten blushed and looked away. "Sorry, Neji-kun, I didn't realize that I was staring at you," she apologized quickly.

Lee and Gai gasped in unison as Lee bounced up by her side. "Tenten! Did you just say Neji-_kun_?"

"Oh, I called him that?" she laughed anxiously. "It must be my nerves acting up!" Tenten tried to blow it off, but she was beating herself up mentally for doing two un-Tenten-like behaviors for this age (crying and the –kun thing). She would have to wait until she was alone to celebrate Neji's life.

Gai pounded a fist into his hand. "I see the female of our team grasps the severity of this year's Chunin Exams! Even though she is never worried, she is obviously stressing herself out for the glory of our team! We must prove that together, you all can make it through!"

"Yes sir!" Lee responded with a firm salute.

"Now, I'm going to let you all proceed from here to the Exams as a squad, because you will only have each other. Are you ready to prove yourselves and establish your nindo by taking the first step in fulfilling your goals?" Gai asked, standing upright.

"Yes sir!" Lee responded on que.

"I said, ARE YOU READY?!" Gai persisted.

"YES SIR!" Lee echoed his answer before but louder. Neji merely nodded and Tenten was still in knots over the fact she nearly blew her cover and could only sigh in response.

Tears bubbled up in the corner of Gai's eyes. "YOSH!" he screamed dramatically. With a puff of smoke, he was gone and the three Genin were left alone to travel to their destination.

Lee started jogging, punching fists into the air in front of him. "Follow, my friends! And witness how I will make Gai-sensei proud!"

Tenten chuckled to herself as Lee continued his speech and took a step forward to follow Lee when Neji's voice stopped her. "Hn."

She stopped and whipped around with a baffled look on her face. "What?"

He didn't answer and just walked ahead, leaving her to attach a meaning to his groan. How she missed translating his language… then she realized they were way ahead of her… her face got red with anger. "GUYS, WAIT UP!"

* * *

Tsunade held her stomach tightly, trying to stop the dark blood from gushing out and heal herself. She was so beaten up; she figured it would only be a matter of time until she died. But she couldn't; the people left in her village needed her. She was using the last of her energy to keep her genjutsu on. She'd rather die then show her true age to this murderer.

"Now," a cold voice slithered into her ear and made her entire body freeze uncomfortably, "where did the dobe and Weapon's Mistress go?"

Tsunade winced, but kept composure. "Why does it matter to you now?"

"Because, they're on my hit list and I can't skip people or I feel… _unfulfilled_. Besides, I have a score to settle with that failure."

"Naruto is not a failure!" Tsunade cried out. "He is one of the strongest people I know! I bet your looking for him because you're afraid he's somewhere debating whether or not to kill you first!"

"Lies!" Sasuke hissed.

Tsunade shook her head. "The only reason he hasn't murdered you yet is because of his love for your former self! He can't look at you without seeing the person he thought of as his brother!" Her eyes narrowed. "But one day he'll see you for the low killing bastard you are and he won't hold back and keep himself from assassinating you!"

"Lies!" Sasuke screamed and tossed a kunai at her neck. It plunged in, and slowly Tsunade's eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground. Sasuke was taking heavy breaths. "Lies," he repeated.

"Sasuke, we needed her," a colder voice whispered. "How will we find those two without her?"

Sasuke growled. "I'll find them. They can't have gotten to far… I think it's about time we raided the Village Hidden in the Sand anyways…"

* * *

**DYEH:** _My goodness I'm violent! I wonder what super evil emo Sasuke of the future wants with Tenten and Naruto… oh wait, I __**do**__ know! Hah! I guess to find out I have to post, huh? _


	3. InnerVillage Skirmishes

Ninja Skills

**Ninja Skills**

**Chapter 3: Inner-Village Skirmishes **

**-or-**

**In Which Sakura Glares at Lee who Glares at Naruto for Glaring at Tenten for Glaring at Sasuke who's Glaring at Neji who's Glaring at Everyone**

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**Summary:** _Tenten gets a second chance to save her friends and village when she's sent back to the day of the Forest of Death in the Chunin Exams. Can she change her weak past into a strong future? Neji/Ten_

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Naruto or anything Naruto related, so please refrain from suing for plagiarism and let's all just enjoy our day! Also the whole 'In which…' title idea was gotten from one of my favorite books of all time Howl's Moving Castle, and I don't own that either._

**DYEH:** _Here's an update so all of you can be filled with some degree of joy. Things pick up speed in this chapter. This chapter is just from the time everyone gets there to the star of Lee and Sasuke's brawl, but Tenten and Naruto aren't going to be random weak people any longer! Of course, what would their hidden power be if there weren't some suspicious ninja? And how will Tenten act when she sees Sasuke? GASP! This just might be worth some time after all! Now I present to you all Ninja Skills; 'cause ninja's have skills._

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Lee beamed at the empty hallways as his teammates followed close behind him. He looked over his shoulder and said with notable pride, "We are the first squad here!"

"Isn't that obvious, Lee?" Tenten asked him as her voice echoed.

His head bobbed up and down. "Yes, it is! But that's the beauty of it all, Tenten! You would think that there would be other teams waiting here hoping to make a good impression, but there are none."

Before Neji and Tenten could walk on Lee jumped ahead, "I feel, before we move further, that we should not cause a scene and show our power. Perhaps, instead, we should act weak so the other teams underestimate us and we have the element of surprise if needed."

Neji looked a bit stunned at his logic but nodded stoically none the less. Tenten, who had heard it all before, beamed as she nodded along with him. Lee smiled, "Great! All we have to do now is find room 301…"

Tenten couldn't help but smile. He had a unique blend of a childlike personality and an intellectual philosopher that could make for some interesting moments. Like whenever Gai tells him about a new move he works hard and spends all his time making it perfect and when he succeeds he jumps around laughing and gloating. She didn't personally witness Lee's downfall, so it was like he never left… it was like he never _died_.

"Oh _no_!" Lee cried out. Tenten and Neji's heads snapped up and saw two males that looked about their age. They were just talking in front of the room 301 until they caught sight of them. One of the guys chuckled at the sight of Lee's expression; a fusion of anger for them being their before them and sadness for the same reason.

"What do you three want?" one of the guys with his chin wrapped up and his dark hair falling over his eyes asked.

"We would like for you to let us enter!" Lee demanded.

Tenten knew, though. It was a trick. She could sense the faint jutsu the first time and she could sense it now better than ever. She took a reassuring glance over at Neji to make sure he knew it as well. His eyes made contact for a brief second, but that's all she needed to know he could. Lee probably knew it was there, too, since he also looked over to get a nod from both Neji and Tenten.

The second guy thumbed his nose. "Yeah? Well I don't feel like moving, kid."

Kid? Oh, right, those two are Chunin in _disguise_. Tenten crossed her fingers, hoping a weaker squad would come in soon and detract attention away from them and to also avoid getting smacked around along side Lee (of course she remembered… that was humiliation even if it _was_ an act).

Lucky for her, at that exact moment three more Leaf nin jogged up and they weren't pleased with the door patrol either. Before long another group came, and another, and they were all over each other. Tenten, who stood in the second row next to Neji, was contemplating how simple it would be for her to get into that room now. For a matter of fact, she bet she could do it without anyone even knowing.

"HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON?" Bodies whipped around to see an orange clad blonde haired blue-eyed Genin with his eyes squinted in annoyance. Tenten smirked; Naruto finally showed up.

"They won't move!" One of the other Genin yelled and the crowd broke into argument again. Tenten was fairly calm now, until Lee started trying to get involved and get in the room. He let himself get hit a couple times (Tenten decided against trying to get in as well due to previous memories of getting hit in the cheek).

"That's not the room," a cooler voice spoke out suddenly as Lee was preparing to charge again. Bodies turned once again, but it wasn't Naruto talking (even though Tenten knew he could sense that it was the wrong room even if his memory sucked and he probably forgot). This time it was a taller Genin with an athletic build and dark hair over even darker eyes. Tenten's entire body tightened and her brows were forced down as she grinded her teeth together.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" Girls from the crowd shrieked out in a disgusting matter. God, even the older girls can't keep their eyes in their sockets when it comes to him.

Tenten has to admit; there was a time when she thought Sasuke was cute and mysterious. Now she was just trying not to strangle him to the ground and kill him for what he did to all her friends. It was his damn fault Naruto and herself were in this mess and he should die now and save them the time and effort of fighting off Orochimaru!

"Huh? What do you mean, Sasuke-kun?" a girl with bubblegum pink hair and soft sea foam green eyes looked to the Uchiha with curiosity. Haruno Sakura was one of the few people that were still alive when Naruto and Tenten left. That is if you count running away from your problems living. She went to go save him, thinking love conquered all or what not. When she saw him in action, she fell apart and ran away, never to be seen again.

Naruto spent a lot of time away searching for her. He needed her, but that didn't matter to her in the state she was in. Sakura is probably off somewhere trying to make herself strong enough for her precious Sasuke. One day Naruto just stopped looking. Since he never gives up, Tenten and Neji silently assumed he had seen her and they had some large argument, though it was never confirmed since she became a rather touchy subject with him just as Sasuke had become.

Actually, none of them could talk about their days on Team 7 without sobbing or getting defensive. For them to act that way, it really must've been the best days of their lives. Not even Sasuke with the bastard he became could make his heart so cold he'd kill Sakura or Naruto. Well, Sakura anyhow. He vowed to fight Naruto but when they got together they said nasty things and left.

"You sense it too, Sakura," Sasuke stated calmly with a smirk playing on his lips.

Sakura squinted her eyes and then immediately agreed. "I do? Yes, Sasuke-kun, I do! That _is_ the wrong room! It's all an illusion and we're all on the second floor!"

The two guards looked at one another and nodded. Then the one said, "You're right."

With a puff of smoke the real room number (201) was revealed, then two guys had disappeared, and the crowd pushed one another to get to the correct room upstairs. Tenten was about to take off but something happened.

The something happened…

Was something that didn't happen before…

Sasuke grabbed her arm.

She tried to remain calm, keeping in mind he had no idea he'd grow up to be a cold blooded killer that murders his friends and the love of her life… yup… he has no idea. She faked a smile, "What?"

"Don't pretend to like me, I saw you glare," he said barely audible. "You're the first girl to do that to me."

"There's a first for everything," Tenten made a motion to leave but he gripped tighter.

"What's your name?"

She blinked. "Tenten."

He smirked and released his grip. "Tenten, I guess I'll be seeing you later."

She nodded uncomfortably. "Guess so."

He looked her up and down with his smirk still in place. Then he walked passed her to join his teammates in stride until Lee jumped in front of Sakura. "Hey, do you want to be my girlfriend? I shall protect you forever, I promise!" His teeth shinned brightly with an added _ping _for effect.

Sakura looked sick. "Ewe no. You're gross!"

Lee sobbed.

Tenten felt the pigments in her skin crawl away as she slowly turned to view behind her to see Neji looking a little too calm and stoic for comfort. Neji slowly asked, "What's your name?"

Sasuke barely stiffeled a grin. "Isn't it polite to give your name first before asking someone for theirs?" He spared a glance at Tenten as she watched Neji's eyes squinted a bit.

"Hyuuga Neji."

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"HEY! I BET YOU'RE DYING TO KNOW MY NAME, RIGHT?"

"I could care less."

Naruto started crying next to Lee on the wall. Tenten decided then that some things just don't change… Sakura started to haul her teammates away as the other teams filed off to go to the real room 301. "Tenten, Neji, I will meet you up there shortly," he said briskly before taking off after Sasuke.

Tenten bit her lip. She didn't remember asking Lee about what he did then and was sure Naruto forgot what to expect. She reluctantly followed Neji silently. "How do you know him?"

"Hm?" Tenten asked, shocked.

"How do you know Uchiha?" Neji pressed with his eyes glaring up ahead.

"Oh, uh, I don't know him actually. He just wanted to know why I was glaring at him is all."

Tenten started to walk faster but Neji's pace only quickened with hers. "Why were you glaring at him? You don't glare."

"Nerves I guess. Sorry, they've been acting up all day," she lied soothingly without looking at him. She didn't feel comfortable lying to him about being weak.

She saw him nod out of the corner of her eyes. "Don't worry. This exam is just another place for you to prove how talented we are. We'll all get through this easily."

Tenten smiled.

--

"Hey! You with the attitude! Hold on!"

Squad 7 stopped and whipped around to see Lee in all his green-jumpsuit glory. Naruto started to panic. What was Lee doing here? Why wasn't he with Tenten? This was different! Wait… no, it wasn't… this happened… or did it? God, he wished he had a better memory sometimes.

"I wish to fight you. You see, I am the strongest Genin here and I wish to see what your Sharingan is made of."

Naruto looked over at Sasuke. Was he going to accept the challenge? He accepted, didn't he? Wait, why does he care whether Sasuke wants to fight him or not? Bushy Brows should want to fight him, not Sasuke! He's ten times better than Sasuke, right? Right? What if he suggested the idea and let Lee decide for himself? Yeah, that seems like a good idea!

"Why don't you fight me?" Naruto yelled out.

"No thank you. I wish to fight the Uchiha."

Naruto's eye twitched. Had Lee turned him down before? If so, did Naruto go ahead and fight him or did he wait until after he fought Sasuke? Did Sasuke even win? Was Lee's headband always orange? WHY WASN'T HIS HEADBAND BLUE LIKE EVERYONE'S ELSE? Should he fight or not fight? Where was Tenten? Why did she let Lee leave their group? Isn't it her job to keep track of her psychotic teammates? This was ridiculous! Lee should totally want to fight him!

Naruto decided in the end that he would make the first move. Halfway through his running to Lee, he had a flash of being twirled into the nearby wall. Ah, so his attack wasn't going to have a happy ending after all. What a shame.

Naruto gave up his effort once he got near to Lee and prepared himself for being spun into a concrete wall as best as one could. Sure enough, two seconds later his body was in pain and he was hoping that Sasuke wouldn't have better luck out of spite.

"Strange," Lee thought to himself. "He did not seem as if he was preparing to defend or offend himself. He was holding back. I wonder why that is so?"

Sakura and Sasuke exchanged looks as well. Did Naruto have to be so obvious that he was throwing in the towel?

--

**DYEH:** _I didn't write the end of Lee's fight with Sasuke, I know. The reason? I didn't really want to change anything since I thought the event was hilarious and perfect as is! So many hilarious quotes and parts… ah, the memories…_


	4. That Damn Test Again Pt 1

**Ninja Skills**

**3. That Damn Test Again Pt. 1**

–**or– **

**In Which Memory Fails Naruto… Again…**

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**If I owned Naruto, I sure as heck would not be wasting all my time studying up for my own 'damn test' – a.k.a. the SATS. I'd be playing with shuriken.**

**Thank you: Under a Rain Cloud** (sorry it took so long and thanks!), **Herbblade **(I don't think Naruto would remember that much because of all he's been through and he hasn't got the best memory or attention span to being with XP thanks so much!), **ancient midnight **(thanks!), **SnowCharms **(thanks for your suggestions! Yes, things will end up a bit differently in regards to how far Oro gets with his scheme and who knows what. As for whether Tenten can forgive Sasuke… we'll see…)

**=I appreciate the input and every single review made me smile. Hope I can return the favor! I also hope my format change isn't for the worse… I don't know what came over me *blinks innocently*. **

**Now without further ado, I present to you Ninja Skills – 'cause ninjas have skills.**

---

How could she _not_ tune him out?

He had this deep, gruff voice that scratched her ear drums to the point she was wincing every time he spoke too loudly. It's hard to listen to someone with a tough voice like that.

He was trying to intimidate all of them and she knew she was stronger than him, and it's hard to be fearful of someone you know you could dance circles and slap around without them noticing it was you.

Oh, and she also got a front row seat in watching him die. It's hard to listen to someone so full of life when you're wondering when they'll disappear.

Her nose started to sting – the first sign of severe crying. God, since when was she so emotional?

Then again, it's understandable that's she's an emotional mess considering all these people who are supposed to be six feet under are breathing the same air as her.

As Tenten struggled to look scared, multiple other ninja who were trying to use this opportunity to survey the competition saw right through her wide, naïve eyes.

They studied her as she kept switching between utter hopelessness and indifference.

It was the _strangest_ thing.

She was the exact same way when the rookies had all gathered in the front of the room after Lee had rejoined their group. While everyone was getting pissed or annoyed, she looked _overjoyed_. They thought the water works would start then – but she held them back well enough.

Now they weren't so sure how much longer she'd be able to hold out.

No matter how hard they tried, nervous Genin kept an eye on her as they filed into the testing room, as they received the papers of doom and the incredulous instructions, and when they were told they were being watched…

Though they forgot she existed when they were told to start.

Her thoughts were still in a whirl, but she tried to tie her most exuberant thoughts down long enough to look down at the blank test in front of her. Her face cringed.

"_Ewe_," she thought miserably. _"I hated this test. Hmm, well, at least this is one aspect of the exam I don't have to suffer through."_

She took the paper, shoved it to the top of her desk, crossed her arms, and sat there.

---

"_Oh! None of this makes sense!_" Lee thought miserably as he scratched his head. He looked over to see Neji scribbling away – CURSE HIS VIGOROUS YOUTH – and Tenten just sitting there… wait… WHAT WAS SHE THINKING? Why isn't she doing the test?... her paper's just in the corner… ah, that's it!

"_Tenten is finished! She wouldn't just NOT do it! Silly me! I suppose she's smarter than I give her credit for! For doubting her and not believing in her, I shall do one thousand push-ups with Gai-sensei when this is over!"_

---

Gaara looked around lazily. How lame was this? Everyone was so blunt about their 'cheating' now it was ridiculous. He sighed and debated on even doing it. Why should he? What would his mission matter? No one in his village would ever see him as more than a threat whether he succeeded perfectly in this assignment or not.

His eyes snagged on a person seated nearby. She looked as bored as he felt. He lifted a hand and slapped it over his eye. He watched as it melted into sand before him and sifted flawlessly through the air escaping even the exam proctor's notice. Hn – maybe he should be in charge instead of these pathetic leaf nin.

He watched numbly as his sand went closer to her, started to pile up and hit her eye, and that's when the most unexpected thing happened. She took a kunai out and made a pinwheel with it, waving the sand away like it was a bunch of fruit flies. How could she have known it was an attempt at seeing her paper? How could she know what it was and how to handle it? Who was she?

He could have sworn he saw her mouth, "Damn Gaara's sand!"

---

Naruto was in an extreme state of panic right about now, though panic may be an understatement.

The thing is, he couldn't remember how well he did on this test. Or how he could've even gotten an answer. It was like it was written in a different language… possibly Japanese or something (XP).

At least he got to sit by Hianta again. That was lucky. She was all red from her nervousness and shook every time he said something. Poor girl. Her whole heart was in this dumb test.

"N-Naruto," she whispered quietly. "You can c-copy my answers."

His brows perked up. He was prepared to answer until he looked up at Tenten. She was playing with her pencil. Was she done already? No way! She might be smart but she's not THAT smart… or was she? "Nah, it's okay. I'll… figure it out! Believe it!"

She smiled and nodded. "Oh, well okay then."

He was so screwed…

---

**I'm sorry it was awfully short! But I hadn't updated in so long I figured I'd put something out! Next chapter will put this one to shame! There's the 'LAST QUESTION!' all the way up until the beginning of the –DUN DUN DUN- Forest of DEATH!!!! How exciting XD It'll be WAY longer and there are WAY more twists and stuffers. And for the random Gaara bit when he was sending sand at Tenten – that she was cool enough to notice. I heart Tenten FOR LIFE!**

**Errr… cough… PLEASE REVIEW!**


	5. That Damn Test Again Pt 2

**Ninja Skills**

**5. That Damn Test Again Pt. 2**

**-0r-**

**In Which Tenten Panics**

* * *

**Life has been keeping me so busy! SATs are next Saturday, PSSA's the week after, AP tests after… it's one big never ending cycle of awfulness. But since none of you care about my problems and just want an update, here you go! Thanks for the support, guys. I love you all! **

**(Oh, and I don't own Naruto by the way!)**

**Ninja Skills: cuz' ninjas have skills.**

* * *

"_There he goes,"_ Tenten thought to herself, letting the memories and déjà u of the whole situation drag her lips up in a soft smile. _"The famous 'Tenth Question' rant. Ibiki is good at psyching people out. Half the people here look like they could go into cardiac arrest if he shouts and stares at them a second too long." _She let her eyes wonder around the room and her eyes got stuck on the back of Neji's head. _"They don't even know it's fake but yet they're not breaking a sweat. Now that's keeping your composure."_

"… and those who choose not to take it will fail. The other rule is that if you take it and get it wrong, you and your team will lose the privilege of taking the Chuunin Exams forever…"

Tenten tried to stifle a yawn and not seem too lax or suspicious. This had been the third time hearing this speech: once her first time around, a second when she reapplied to take the exams. And every time someone let the Jounin's words get to them and they raised their hands and took off. She eyes the Genin that left and felt the urge to knock them to the ground and beat some confidence into their thick heads.

If those easily scared and selfish ninja were tossed into the mess that Naruto and herself left behind, they wouldn't last two seconds.

A flash of pink hair stuck to Tenten's conscious and the Weapon's Mistress looked over to observe Sakura, who was wringing her hands nervously and obviously debating with herself: take the risk or don't take the risk? Tenten's eyes widened as she saw her hand twitch from her other one and slightly lift.

Her heart stopped: did Sakura do this _before_?

When Sakura's finger tips were at the level of her forehead, Tenten stopped thinking and started doing. "Sakura, _no_!"

All eyes were on the brunette, who realized she was standing with one hand slammed on her desk and the other reaching out to the pink haired teen, who had promptly turned to blink her blank pale green eyes at Tenten. _"Oh shit," _Tenten blanked. _"This defiantly didn't happen before… so much for ninja's keeping their composure!"_

Sakura dropped her hand and was about to answer, but she shut her jaw and looked carefully over at Ibiki. Ibiki…! Tenten looked over at him too and happened to see herself on the receiving ends of quite a powerful glare. "What is the meaning of this?!" he barked.

"I…" Tenten looked over at Naruto and desperately pleaded with the almighty Fate or whoever pulled the strings on her fortunes to let Naruto remember his little inspirational speech and to set things back on track. She'd panicked and messed up, but she didn't remember seeing Sakura raise her hand before. She resisted smacking her face with her palm, "_Of course I don't remember that! I didn't know Sakura well enough to care about what she did!"_

Naruto's hand slowly raised before he slammed it down with a force great enough to put all the attention on him. As his voice started to rise and people started to really get into what he had to say, Tenten melted back into her seat and combed her lithe fingers through her bangs. _"That was too close!" _she chastised herself. _"No more close calls like that! No. More. Panicking!"_

She couldn't help it though, could she? If she would have let things go on and Naruto would have not remembered his interjection, their mission would be screwed up and they'd have to wait until he got the necklace from Tsunade again before they could fix things… if they would be able to!

Even though Tenten was saved of further drawing interest to herself, the interest itself was already there. Neji, Sasuke, and Gaara among some others all had their eyes trained on Naruto because that's what everyone else was doing but their real focus was on the weapon wielder.

"… _Who is this girl?" _Gaara wondered yet again, though the tone ringing through his aching head was more stern and hard than it had been the previous times. He had to know. And what was her connection to the pink haired girl who wasn't even on her team?

Sasuke was thinking along the same lines. He wanted to better understand this Tenten character and see why she stopped Sakura from… wait, what the hell _did_ she stop Sakrua from doing, anyway?

Neji was the most confused. Something wasn't right. Tenten wasn't the type of person to speak out like that for someone she didn't know in a structured situation such as this. Especially when it had no impact on her team or herself. What was going on with her? Did she not realize that her actions had a direct effect and representation on not only their squad but their entire village?

Lee let tears cuddle the corners of his eyes as he sniffed at Tenten with admiration. _"Tenten is taking the blossoming love of my heart into consideration and acknowledging her! What a truly remarkable friend!"_

Hinata was blushing and trying to hold back her swoons for Naruto's speech. Naruto himself wasn't too sure where he was going with things. He got a brief flashback of telling Ibiki off, but he wasn't too sure he was staying true to his original complaints. It must have been working since some hesitant students got stony, determined faces and silently applauded and cheered for the blond goofball.

Ibiki, noting that Naruto was done with his long stream of breaths, set cold eyes on the 78 remaining students. "You all… have passed the first round! There is no such thing as the final tenth question!..."

He explains, Tenten doesn't even hide her yawn at this point. She knew _this_ part of his rant by heart: the pass-fail pressure that forced everyone to cheat (minus her since she didn't care enough to and minus Naruto because… well come on, he's Naruto), the Chuunin's who were designated targets (one sitting right in front of Naruto much to his chagrin), the determination involved, yada yada yada… It was a good speech, it really was, she just didn't want to hear it.

Tenten had this spark of energy rip through her veins and made her want to take action. Now the test was over, the real mission began. The war would officially start with The Forest of Death. Speaking of which, Anko should be arriving in three… two… one…

The crash of glass through a window confirms Tenten's countdown. Anko lifts her head up and meets everyone with her sly, wicked grin. Tenten listened to her tell Ibiki that 78 out of 153 is too high a number and that the interrogation specialist was much too easy on this year's Genin, but she'll make sure to hack the number to less than half of who's here.

Tenten liked Anko. The Jounin was another of the few still around and she happened to be one of Tenten's favorite people to go out on missions with. Besides her cutthroat style and how well she worked with Tenten, Anko had this way of understanding everything even though she didn't look like the type of person who would. She was what Tenten thought an older sister would be like.

"_I wonder if we can be as close as we were before," _Tenten sighed to herself as Anko set a new wave of horror and/or resolve in all the Genin.

"Forty-fourth training area, eh?" Tenten hears one of the Genin boys that sat near her say to another – probably his teammate. "I hear lots of people die in there. The Forest of Death is no joke."

"Yeah, but we can handle it," his friend says cockily to him. The two stop at Tenten's desk and she looks up and blinks at them. "Yes…?" she asks slightly annoyed by them disrupting her thoughts.

"Well, you know, you could always count on us to help you through the forest tomorrow in case you lose your cool again." Tenten scowled as the boy knocked his friend away and leaned closer to her. "Pretty girls like you have our protection."

"Thanks, guys!" Tenten chirped. Then she let her serene smile turn cold and her eyes radiate death. "And as you boys are walking in front of me and keeping the area clear, I'll be behind you with my kunai ready to pierce through your skin if you so much as so much as slow your pace. Don't worry; they'll be too far in before _you_ panic too much."

The boys came back and glowered at her together. "Bitch," they spat in unison.

"Boys," she stated coolly. She saw Neji and Lee leaving the room and she gave them a slight wave. "See you two tomorrow morning. I'd hate it if you couldn't make it."

The boys glared at her back. "Oh, it's _on_!"

* * *

Tenten stared up at the sky from her spot on her roof with lazy, half-lidded eyes. She missed just relaxing on her roof and letting the night sky encase her. It had been a while since she truly felt as safe as she did. She wanted to focus on the mission and on how she could have thus far screwed up the entire mission, but her mind wouldn't let her. Her head was already spinning from all that had happened and it was just starting to shut down…

Her eyes snapped open and she flipped up, spinning on her heels towards her neighbor's roof. "Come out, _Sasuke_."

He appeared from the night with his hair and eyes ripped from the very starry night itself. He looked at her crossly, though she could tell he was more curious then anything. She spoke Neji, after all. "What do you want? If you came here to get an edge on the competition and challenge me, than you'll be sorry because I'm not someone to be taken lightly!"

He let out a low chuckle. "Right. Says the girl in her underwear."

Tenten didn't so much as twitch. She already knew she was in a tank top and boy-cut panties. This didn't bother her: she had been seen in so much less in her later years. It came with the job description. She felt no girlish shame in hiding herself unless she needed the modesty to feign innocence on a mission.

And she certainly wasn't going to tremble in front of _the killer_.

"Then wha-"

"Why?"

Tenten decided to start feigning innocence and she hugged her arms around her chest. "Why what?"

"Why did you stop Sakura from raising her hand?" he asked point blank. "I asked her about it and she told me she had no clue why you'd do something like that, which is why I'm here asking you."

She scoffed. "I don't have to tell you anything," she said stubbornly.

He shrugged. "The sooner you answer the sooner I leave."

She glared at Sasuke, Sasuke glared back.

"_He's not the same as he is now," _Tenten told herself, letting her shoulders slug and her arms swing down to her sides, opening herself up to talking to him. _"He's not… he has a chance at being better than he was. Fighting for the right side. He's so different now. So much… I don't know if nicer, but it's more pleasant to be around him. He's not the same person who took Neji's…"_

Her body shivered and her eyes pulsed as she shot him a glare that made the great prodigy lift up the lids of his eyes and lean back.

"I knew she was on your squad," Tenten answered slowly.

Sasuke resumed his lax expression and smirked. "So, you wanted to keep me in the exams? Any reason for that… Tenten?"

Her body shot stiff when he said her name and the manner in which he said it did little to comfort her. She turned her nose up and gave him a confident smirk all her own. "Actually, I was interested in keeping Naruto around. I want to see what he's got. Looks tough if you ask me."

Sasuke's light eyes went dark and he clenched his fists. He looked like he wanted to say something but he just shrugged and left. Tenten knew he was still hanging around as she slipped back into her window and between her sheets.

Sasuke had a feeling she knew, too.

He smirked to himself. "There are four people I want most to fight…"

* * *

Neji couldn't sleep.

His insomnia seemed to strike whenever he thought too much about something. This being noted, he was often having trouble getting a proper rest. He'd lay calm but awake as the minutes reached in and pulled hours forward. Before he knew it it'd be time to get up and he'd have had not a moment of slumber.

Not that he complained. In fact, he thought his poor sleeping habits made him a better ninja.

But he did wish he could get to sleep this one time. He was so _sick_ of thinking about Tenten.

She'd been acting strange all day. One moment she'd be in tears the next she'd be more jovial than she is during the holidays. It was all so perplexing! No proper woman – ninja or not – behaved that way. They kept themselves in check, as _she_ should.

Then she was yawning as Ibiki was making them feel like lowlife scum. Since when was she so unaffected? He even tried to use his special glare on her – the one that made her nervously bite her lips and rub her arms when he stared avidly at her with it for more than a few moments – and she didn't so much as tell him to knock it off. She just waved him off and went home.

And she called him Neji-_kun_…

If she didn't get her act together and she screwed up their chances at becoming Chuunin, there would be hell to pay.

Ibiki laughed as he looked at Naruto's answers… or rather lack thereof. "That kid is something," he heard himself say. He put the blond's paper to the side and was shocked to see yet another blank one. He blinked up at the name.

"Tenten?" He stared hard at the name and recalled a brunette with buns in her hair shouting out at a girl with pink hair. "So, she's a slacker or not too bright…."

He put her paper aside and nearly fell over when he saw the next paper was also blank. "Gaara…?" He reread the Sand ninja's name in disbelief. That kid didn't put any answers, either?!

"Maybe Anko was right…" Ibiki muttered miserably, dropping the pile into the wastebasket. "Maybe I was too easy on this year's group…"

* * *

**Take note to the change in genre (the action will exist – no worries, but it won't be as prominent I think as drama and romance). Also the main characters are Tenten and Naruto. Why? Because I'm not sure what to do pairings wise. It could go any which way, so if anyone has any opinions on that I'll take them into consideration guaranteed. Oh, and the mystery boys will be identfied next chapter too.**


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